Cherry Blossom Pink Flamingo

 

4/9/26 Chilean flamingoes, Woodland Park Zoo

Since I park on that side of the zoo, I like to catch the
Humboldt penguins on my way out.

On yet another gorgeous day (we were treated to eight of them consecutively last week), I went fitness walking through Woodland Park Zoo. Silly me – I forgot that it was still spring break, which gave me déjà vu of my visit to the Smithsonian National Zoo. (I exaggerate; Seattle’s zoo will never be as crowded as DC’s panda exhibit was, although as I was walking out, the attendant told me that she had counted 6,000 visitors so far that day – a combination of spring break and several field trips.)

I usually avoid the Chilean flamingo exhibit because it smells so bad there. However, the cherry blossom pink crayons in my bag compelled me to use them (holding my breath). At least half the large population on exhibit were a pale grayish-brown instead of pink. The keeper who was washing out their feeding tanks informed us that the dull-colored ones were still young. When they matured, they would take on the brilliant pink hues that flamingoes are known for.

Detail showing the "licked" color wash and textured details added with water-soluble pencil. 
I used a Derwent Drawing pencil for shading.

Technical notes: On a whim, I colored the flamingo by using a waterbrush to “lick” the end of a Raspberry Red Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayon and painting it like watercolor. Then while that was still wet, I used orange and red Museum Aquarelle pencils for some feather details. I don’t know why I don’t use those techniques together more often – I love the look of the smooth wash combined with texture. Now that the crayon holder I MacGyver’d gives me easy access to a “watercolor palette,” I have to remember to take advantage of it more often.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Neocolor II crayons? That’s not new – I’ve loved them for many years. The difference now is that I’m able to use them on location, so my long-time crush has turned into a committed relationship. Although I wrote a thorough review several years ago, I might need to write a fresh love letter sometime soon.

Getting My Teaching Chops Back

 

4/12/26 

4/12/26 Dexter

After being away from teaching for 15 years, I was feeling rusty going into my ArtSpot workshop last Sunday. As soon as I sat down with my enthusiastic students (a full class), though, my confidence returned and anxiety vanished. It was good to be reminded of the pleasure of interacting with creative, motivated students, which I had enjoyed for many years in my previous life.

Drawing pets with a brush pen was the topic of the day. In my supply list and in the email I sent to students several days prior, I reminded them that the single-most important thing they must bring to class was a high-quality reference photo (several to choose from, if possible). Drawing from a tiny phone screen is less than ideal, so I encouraged them to bring a tablet or iPad or, even better, large prints of images. I was relieved that everyone heeded my recommendations.

I gave the students an opportunity to try drawing from an upside-down
reference image, an exercise I learned from Betty Edwards' Drawing on the
Right Side of the Brain. I drew Teddy upside-down along with my students.

In fact, although I had come prepared with my own images to use for demos, some students had such great photos that I used them to demo with (and gave away the results). Each demo was in response to questions that came up. For example, the mom of the grumpy cat (the only cat! Whaaat??! Of course, I have a preference for dogs, at least to draw, but I was certain more would want to draw cats) asked about how to show the catchlight in light-colored eyes and shading on very pale-colored fur. Although I feel strongly about showing the catchlight, in this case, I concurred that it was difficult to do with a brush pen. Instead, I showed her how to subtly shade the fur on one side.

I sketched Roxy from life as she rested in a sling.

My favorite sketch wasn’t a demo at all: It was a live sketch of Roxy (at left), who spent the class time in a sling around the neck of shop staff member Viani. What a sweet, quiet model she turned out to be.

My learning for the day was to figure out how to do future demos that will be easier to see. I’m not sure I know how to demo on a large scale using an easel, but maybe I need to learn.

Overall, I had a blast, and I hope my students found it rewarding, too.

Route 62 (and Spring Green)

4/8/26 Green Lake neighborhood

With Link light rail so convenient, I rarely take Metro anymore, but certain destinations are better reached by bus. I catch route No. 62 from this Green Lake stop. I’ve waited at this stop many, many times, yet I had never noticed the decorative lamp post until I made this sketch. I guess I’m always looking in the opposite direction in anticipation of the bus’s arrival. (How often has that happened to you? It happens to me regularly: I don’t see it until I sketch it.) Just as I was finishing, a 62 bus approached and fit right into my composition.

Color notes: A friend and I enjoy discussing the particular shade of green that trees begin to take on at this time of year. Tiny, tender leaves shimmer with a luminous, nearly neon yellow-green. In this post from a few years ago, I mentioned the various names pencil manufacturers have come up with to describe this fleeting hue.

Given my current obsession with Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons, I picked out Spring Green (470) from the crayon line, a color I have also used in its Museum Aquarelle pencil form during previous springs.

It’s Been a Minute, Georgetown!

 

4/11/26 Georgetown

I knew it had been a while since I’d sketched in Georgetown, but I didn’t think it had been as many as four years. No wonder I felt like a tourist visiting a familiar yet fresh place. A little out of my way, it’s a neighborhood I only seem to get to with USk Seattle, so I’m happy for last Saturday’s outing on the afternoon of Georgetown’s monthly art walk.

Relieved that the day’s earlier rain had drizzled out in time for our outing, I wandered around to get reacquainted with Georgetown’s crusty, historic buildings. Red brick is plentiful, and some facades of long-gone businesses are crumbling, while many other buildings are still in use.

I always like to use the strong horizontal and vertical lines of the freeway as compositional elements. Although I show the scale poorly in my sketch, the iconic brick smokestack that used to be part of the original Rainier Brewing Company was a popular sketch subject that day (above).

Chilled from standing around in low-50s temps, I went inside All City Coffee to warm up with a mocha. Large windows gave several sketchers good views of the ant-covered mural across the street and Georgetown’s quintessential street lamps. I also got a chance to see Eleanor Doughty’s artwork, which is on view now at All City Coffee.

Views through All City Coffee's windows

After the throwdown, Eleanor gave an inspiring mixed-media demo for anyone who wanted to stay and watch (nearly everyone). I watched most of it, then stepped around to the front so I could sketch her in action.

Ellie giving a demo

My Moon Mission PPK

 

My beloved Carl Angel-5 Royal sharpener is shown for scale (sadly, I'll have to leave that at home).

Regular readers of this blog are familiar with my occasional references to Gilligan’s Island. When trying to pare down my burgeoning sketch kit, I like to imagine what I would take for a “three-hour tour” that stretches into three TV seasons. That means the supplies can’t just be compact; they must be versatile enough to last for an indefinite period on a desert island. The requirement I have never given myself, though, is physical restrictions for such a kit. I figured if I could carry it myself without a wheeled cart, the Skipper could hardly object, right?

The recent Artemis II moon mission has given me a new model for a compact sketch kit: the Personal Preference Kit. Apparently the Artemis II astronauts were allowed to take only personal items that would fit into an 8-by-5-by-2-inch rectangular box. I first heard about the PPK from Ana at the Well-Appointed Desk. She had to make some hard choices to pack her PPK, and that got me thinking about what I’d put into mine.

I’m not very skilled at visualizing volumes or spaces (remember that part of the high school aptitude test that determined we should all find careers in nursing? I didn’t do so well), so I had to build myself an actual box of the required dimensions. The closest size I could find was still a bit larger than I could have, so I had to cut it down.

Most of my daily-carry fits easily! See below for the spread.

I was fairly confident that my usual daily-carry would fit, and it does! I left out my water spritzer (since that obviously wouldn’t work in space) and brush pens (which seemed doubtful). Also staying home is the Gelly Roll, which hardly works even with gravity. I kept the waterbrush and Pitt Artist Pen, though sometime before liftoff, I’ll have to do research on whether they would work in zero gravity. Actually, I’m pretty sure the waterbrush wouldn’t work, so I’d have to rethink all those water-soluble materials I’m taking. (Maybe a water-saturated sponge would work? I could probably tuck one into a corner.)

Not shown is a small spool of string that I’d need to tether each implement to my wrist as I used it. I learned this necessity from Nina Khaschina last summer when she gave a presentation at Sketcher Fest about how she sketches underwater. Her implements are tethered so they won’t float away if she inadvertently lets go. Sketching underwater must be as close to sketching in space as anyone here on Earth can get!

As with my Earth travels, I hardly have to make adjustments to my regular daily-carry to sketch in space! Yay! And we already know it’s been done before, and with colored pencils, no less!

At the bottom of the stack is an A6 Hahnemuhle sketchbook. If the Pitt Artist Pen works, then I'll bring the Uglybook. The Field Notes is not for sketching but journaling. I don't typically carry a Blackwing pencil, but I would need it for general writing.

Maisy and Sammy

 

4/6/26 Sammy (reference photo by Tom Constantini)

3/21/26 Maisy (reference photo by Natalie Taylor)

Although I haven’t been doing as many commissioned pet portraits lately, I’m happy for the opportunities to practice that keep coming up. Last month when I was an ArtSpot featured artist during Art Walk Edmonds, I demo’d a few pet portraits for visitors who had photos on their phones. I started Maisy on the spot, but then more people came by to chat, and I felt too distracted to finish. I told Maisy’s mom that I’d finish at home and give it to her later. Drawing Maisy with a brush pen gave me a good opportunity to include a stepped-out example in my workshop handout. (My brush pen workshop is tomorrow! I’ll report back soon on how that went.)

The calico was a sadder event. A friend posted on Facebook that his beloved Sammy had just passed away at a ripe old age. It’s always a joy to sketch a beautiful animal, and I hope the gift brings some comfort.

Carnegie Free Public Library

4/6/26 Original Ballard library on NW Market St.

After an appointment in Ballard, I took a fitness walk down Northwest Market Street, the main business thoroughfare. The old Ballard library, which was in use from 1904 until 1963, is a slightly different architectural style from most of Seattle’s Carnegie libraries, which look more like “my” branch at Green Lake. After it was replaced by a new, larger building nearby, the old library on Market housed various restaurants, bars, business offices and other venues over the years. The venues change over, but the grand old building still stands.

I like that the sign in front says “Carnegie Free Public Library,” which seems to emphasize to patrons that book lending is free. It’s interesting to think about: We take for granted that public libraries are always free, but maybe the concept of borrowing books for free was novel in the early 20th century. According to Wikipedia, “Initially, the library had a cache of books provided by local residents and schools on standby for the completion and grand opening, as Carnegie's grant did not cover the initial costs of new books.”

By the way, the tree in front is just starting to show tiny, “spring green” leaves sparse enough that I could still see through the branches. Soon enough, the tree will be fully leafed out, and much of the library will be obscured. I sketched it just in time.